“For those that are either criticising or carping or whatever else, they need to come back with credible alternatives.”

#Chequers discussion on future to be welcomed. I look forward to White Paper. We will assess proposals to see if they are workable & realistic in view of #EUCO guidelines. Next negotiations w/ #UK on WP, & Withdrawal Agreement, w/c 16 July #Brexit

Mr Hunt said Brussels needed to recognise the importance of reaching an agreement that worked for both sides.

“What we say to the European Union is we’re not the only ones who can’t do the cherry-picking. If they want a deep and special partnership with Britain going forward, then we have to look at our relationship as a whole,” he said.

“We are saying that we will defend Europe unconditionally – that is the big commitment that Theresa May has made. We need to find a way forward that works for both sides.”

The White Paper will outline plans for how the UK can continue frictionless cross-border trade with the EU in goods while setting its own tariffs for dealings with the rest of the world.

The proposals, hammered out at a summit of ministers at the Prime Minister’s country residence, Chequers, last Friday, have already caused outrage among many Leave supporters, and triggered the resignations of Mr Raab’s predecessor as Brexit secretary, David Davis, and ex-foreign secretary Boris Johnson, from the Cabinet.

New Brexit Secretary @DominicRaab on what replaces free movement: We will have control over our borders and immigration policy... the precise nature of the agreement will be subject to negotiation #r4today

Mr Raab will speak to Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator in the exit talks, on Thursday and then meet him in Brussels next week.

But Mr Barnier has warned that the proposals must conform to EU rules and not create extra costs as he told US business leaders to prepare for a no-deal scenario.

Mrs May wrote in the Sun that the plan was the only one which “truly respects the will of the British people”.

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has said the proposals must be workable (Niall Carson/PA)

Meanwhile, Tory MP Maria Caulfield, who resigned as a party vice chairperson in protest at Mrs May’s withdrawal stance, said Brexiteers were being held in contempt by a “small cabal” in Downing Street.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, she said Mrs May’s plan was “catastrophically bad” and a “disaster for the Conservative Party”.

Unrest among Brexiteers over the plan means the PM may have to rely on support from outside her party to push it through parliament.

Opposition MPs and peers were briefed last week on the agreement struck at Chequers by Mrs May’s deputy, David Lidington.

But Yvette Cooper said Labour was unlikely to support the blueprint “as it stands”.

Pope Francis has declined to accept the resignation of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin as archbishop of Lyon after he was convicted of failing to report a known predator priest to police, the Vatican said.